Broom rake



Aug. 14, 192s. 1,680,593

F. E. CONLEY BRooM RARE Filed NOV. 1l, 1926 @f9.6 7 f2 l INVENTOR 744.' ATTORNE Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYD E. CON LEY, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN FORK & HOE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BROOM RARE.

Application flled November 11, 1926. Serial No. 147,655.

My invention relates to broom rakes and relates particularly to broom rakes having metallic tines.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved form of broom rake wherein like metallic strips are assembled together into a broom to provide a broom having the qualities of strength, flexibility and durability, to an exceptional degree.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of broom rake which may be inexpensively manufactured and which will be durable and elicient in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of broom rake in which hand operations in the making of the rake are lar ely avoided.

Another o ject of my invention is to provide an improved form' of broom rake having elongated tines, of light weight and in which the flexibilit and resistance to flexure is very eilicient y distributed along the len h of the tines.

ther objects of my invention and the in- 2l vention itself will become apparent by reference to the following description of an embodiment' of my invention and in which description reference will be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating the said em ent.

Fig. 1 shows a broom rake embodying my invention in plan view.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical mediallsectional view' of the said embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows an enlar d sectional view taken on the line 3 3 o Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 show enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken on the lines 4-4 and 5 5, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows` an enlarged. plan view of a re-enforcing element employed on the foregoing embodiment in blank form.

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged plan view of a re-enforcing bar employed in the foregoing 45 embodiment.

Fig.- 8 shows a plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, enlar ed to more clearly illustrate the twist in e tines, and Fig. 9 shows a transverse sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of Fig. 8.

Referring now to the different figures of the drawings in all of which like parte are dted y like reference characters, at 1,

I, generally, show a clam comprising a substantially V-shaped meta lic plate 2 having upwardly extending inturned flanges 3 adapted to retain a top plate 4 in contact with a plurality of metallic tines 5 clamped together in a group in the clamp 1. Apertures 6 and 7 are provided in the plate 2 and grip plate 31 for the reception of bolts 8 and 9 to secure the clamp 1 and tines 5 on a handle 10, which bolts pass through apertures 11 and 12 provided in the handle for that purpose and are secured together by the nuts 13 and 14. An inwardly extending transverse detent 15 is preferably stamped in the plate 2 adapted to project into slots 16 cut in each of the tines adjacent their handle ends to prevent their dislodgment from the clamp when the top plate has been secured in place by the inturned flanges 3. Before the tines are tempered and before they are placed within the clamp 1 they are twisted at substantially 90 degrees upon themselves .at 17 free of, but adjacent the clam 1, to present their flat portions 18 exten in away from the handle, and to provide for better clamping of the tines in the clamp; they are also formed with bent ends 20 to form lingers 21 before being tempered.- The tines are preferabl formed from spring sheet steel, of a hardy `ness and temper so that they will not be brittle and easily subject to breakage, but at the same time, so hard that the tlmes will be quite resilient, and when deflected and the deilecting pressure being removed will be restored to normal undelected form.

The dimensions of the tines will de upon the nature of usage to which the rake will be subjected.

,By virtue of the inclined flanges 3 and the twist in the tines they extend from the clamp in a fan like formation and preferably present an arcuate end configuration for contact with the surface to be raked.

Intermediate the ends of the tines I provide a reenforcement 25 dis osed at such a point that it will effectua y retain the tines assembled and to reenforce the tines, and at the same time being so disposed so that it will elect a proper resiliency in the linger ends of the tines. The said re-enforcement preferably com rises an arcuate shaped strip of steel 26 having a plurality of laterpend ally rojecting fingers or flanges 27 projecting rom each side of the stri 26, at predetermined spaced intervals om end to end. The fingers or anfres are so spaced apart as to provide for a tine to be disposed between two of them when applied to the tines. This strip is best shown in blank form in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The ends of the strip 26 are rounded at 28 to provide fingers or flanges 29 to be bent around the most laterally disposed tines to clamp them. At 30 I show a strip of sheet steel adapted for co-opei'ation with the strip 26 and of arcuate formation having the same degree of curvature as the strip 26.

The re-enforcement just described is applied to the tines after they have been placed in the clamp 1 by initially bending the fingers or flanges 27 and 29 into an upright osition and inserting the strip from the un erside of the tines so that the fingers or flanges extend above the tines, and the fingers or flanges 29 extend beyond the outermost tines. The strip 30 is then placed on the tines on the opposite side from the strip 26 and between the upstanding flanges or fingers. The strip 30 is shorter than the strip 26 and the ends thereof are disposed between the flanges or fingers 29. The rake is now placed in a power press and the fingers or flanges 27 and 29 are simultaneously bent inwardly and securely grip the strips 26 and 30 and the tines 5 together insuring a rigid re-enforcement for the tines.

The rake is adapted to be employed on lawns, gardens, gravel walks, and the like, and may be operated with a sweeping motion like that effected by a person operating an ordinary broom, permitting the person to stand erect, the raking being rendered less fatiguing.

The broom rake constructed as described with tines bound to ether by the intermediately disposed re-enIorcing strips and twisted intermediate the re-enforcement and handle possesses a very desirable distribution'of resiliency, the twisted tine portions resisting deflection more than untwisted tines could do, and the re-enforcement accomplishing a similar result to the stitchin of ordinary brooms, in the distribution 0I resiliency and resitance to bending when the broom is use At the same time the twisted tines at the handle end are capable of being bundled together in a small compass, fiat sidestowards each other and contacting at the tine ends. Also the twisting of the tines together with the notching of the same permits the effective use of a detent such as that shown at 15, projecting into the notchesvto prevent longitudinal displacement of the tines.

Having thus described my invention in a single embodiment I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the embodiment herein illustrated and described but without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a broom rake, the combination with a handle, of a plurality of flat metal strips forming rake tines divergngly extending therefrom and each secured at an end thereto, each having its other end bent to form a ground engaging tip, reinforcing means joinging the tines together intermediate their ends, said tines being twisted at substantially right angles intermediate the reinforcing means and the handle.

2. In a broom rake the combination with a handle, of a plurality of flat metal strips forming rake tines divergingly extending therefrom and each secured at an end thereto, each having its other end bent to form a ground engaging tip, reinforcin means joining the tines together intermediate their ends, said tines being twisted at substantially 'right angles intermediate the reinforcing means and the handle, and clamping means carried by the handle for the handle ends of the tines to secure them together with the flat sides of each inner tine clamped tightly against contacting flat sides of adjacent tines.

3. In a broom rake, the combination with a handle, of a plurality of fiat metal strips forming rake tines diver gly extending therefrom and each secure at an end thereto, each having its other end bent to form a ground engaging tip, reifnorcing means joining the tines to ether intermediate their ends, said tines being twisted at substantially right angles intermediate the reinforcing means and the handle, and clamping means carried by the handle for the handle ends of the tines to secure them together with the flat sides of each inner tine clamped tightly against contacting iiat sides of adjacent tines, said clamping means comprising a substantially triangular metallic housin for the tine ends, and means securing the lionsing to the handle.

4. In a broom rake, the combination with a handle, of a plurality of flat metal strips forming rake tines diver 'ngly extending therefrom and each secure at an end thereto, reinforcing means joining the tines together intermediate their ends, said reinorcmg means comprisin a pair of superposed arcuate metallic ent strips extending transversely of the tines and on opposite sides thereof, adapted to resiliently yield to bending stresses applied at either of their end ortions, and means to secure the stri s toget er, said means extendin between jacent tines, one of said strips aving lateral flanges pro'ected between adjacent tines, the ends of sai Han es being bent over the outer surface of the ot er strip to clamp the tines securely between the strips, said flanges adapted to space adjacent tines.

5. In a broom rake, the combination with -a handle, of a plurality of flat metal strips ends, said tines being twisted in their intermediate portions.

7. In a broom rake, the combination with a handle, of a plurality of flat metal strips forming rake tines diver 'ngly extending therefrom and each secure at an end thereto, each having its other end bentto form a ground engaging tip, reinforcing means joiningi the tines together intermediate their en s, right angles in their intermediate portions.

,In testimony whereof I hereunto aix my signaturethis 23d day of Sept.,'1926.

FLOYD E. CONLEY.

said tines being twisted at substantially 25 

